Day 3 (7 June) - Welcome To Wine Country

I feel guilty for saying this. After spending thousands of dollars to get here, I did not love Paris! At least not in the same way that I love Bangkok or Hong Kong. Perhaps its because we are travelling in a large group (7 of us) but I kinda miss the feeling of travelling alone. The feeling of fear, excitement and anticipation. I think I get the feel of a place better when I have to navigate it myself, guidebook in hand.

Anyway we left Paris in the morning for a roadtrip around Southern France. Our first stop was the delightful town of Beaune in Burgundy. A small quaint village, Beaune is famous for its vineyards and wines. Unfortunately our timing was a little off and we failed to see any vineyard or do any wine tasting.

The centrepiece of the village though was a 16th century hospice. Originally built to house the poor and homeless, it became so popular that many wealthy people came for its medical services too. With the influx of the rich into town, many vineyards were set up and thus Beaune became known for its wines.

Sitting on a well in the hospice

It was a bit surreal to be seeing and touching things that were more than 500 years old but it was also extremely terrifying to see the medical instruments used during those days. I, for one, would not want to have been sick during those days!

After we were done with Beaune, we continued on our journey and arrived at Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Lyon is. Here is exactly what Paris is missing, charm and personality.

Spectacular river view of Lyon

Roaming the streets

Our stay in Lyon started on a good note - the best meal we had so far in France! In Paris, you could smoke in the restaurants and it was extremely uncomfortable for most of us espeically the ladies. So it was a welcome change to be dining in a smoke free environment. Dawn is bringing us to the market in the morning and I am really looking forward to it!